No Turning Back
by Costas1998
Summary: Knockaround Guys Fiction..Matty Demaret and Taylor Reese hope their fresh start won't be complicated by their past. A bar is the perfect place to start and add some girls:) Chapters 4 and 5 added!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1 A Fresh Start  
  
Somewhere in New Jersey.....  
  
  
  
Taylor Reese leaned against his old Dodge van awaiting his friend to come out the bar he was parked in front of. The sign in the window said "FOR SALE BY OWNER." This peaked their interest. He and Matty Demaret needed a fresh start and this run down looking bar could be just what the doctor ordered. It had been six months since the shit went down in Montana. Long since Matty had stopped any dealings he had with his father. Matty did well to hide his emotions about his father. Taylor knew this was going to be hard for the both of them. He shook all doubt out of his mind. Matty wasn't like all the other knockaround guys, hell he wasn't even like Taylor. Matty was the only one to see something other than a tough guy in Taylor. This strengthened the two men's bond. He was going to help his friend in any way he could.   
  
Once again Taylor looked over at the front of the building. This reminded him of the bar that was around the corner from his apartment building when he was a kid. The only difference was, no bums standing on the corner or hustler's trying to make a quick buck. He grinned as he looked upon the deserted side walk. This is exactly what we need!   
  
His attention was drawn back to the window as he saw the for sale sign come down. He lifted himself up from the van and stepped forward as Matty walked out the front door. Matty was followed by an older man with graying hair.   
  
"Well, My dear lad. You and your mate their own a pub," the old man said with a heavy Irish accent while smiling before shaking Matty's hand.   
  
"Thank you sir. And again It was a pleasure doing business with you," Matty told the old man. He looked over at Taylor and gave him a grin.   
  
"Now...I want the two of you to come over tonight after we open and meet the crew," the old man said before walking to the entrance to the bar.  
  
Both Matty and Taylor watched the man turn and walk into the bar. They waited until he was gone to say anything.  
  
"Is what we need?" Taylor asked before lighting his cigarette.  
  
"Exactly," Matty said while whipping his hand over his mouth. "It's perfect."  
  
"Good...I like it. No bums," Taylor said showing a slight grin. "Do you expect any problems?"  
  
"They opened at noon and close at midnight," Matty asked while climbing into the van. "All the employees been working her for years, this is the beginning for us"  
  
  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Matty and Taylor pulled up the McKnight's pub around 6:30pm. They looked at the bar then at one another before making their way inside. Matty pulled off his over coat and gently placed on the rack before walking down the other end of the bar. He took the seat next to Mac. Taylor on the other hand eyed the place. He wanted to know where everything was and to check out the locals. His eyes slowly made their way around the room. Not to much happening in here. That's good. Old men and not much else. He had stopped right after he walked in the door which cause all the customers and staff to stare at him. Taylor quickly looked around the establishment again then went up the bar to stand next to Matty. His friend began a conversation with the old man from earlier in the day. Out the corner of his eyes he saw a women staring at him. She glared at him for another second then went back to stocking the bar. His attention then went back to Matty and the old man's conversation.  
  
"I am happy to see the two of you again. I've spoken with my people and told them you would be coming. They will all stay a little after to close so they can all meet you"  
  
Matty smiled then said, "Thank you Mr. McKnight"  
  
The old man smiled then moved so he could look over at Taylor. "And you friend"  
  
"How rude of me" Matty said before turning to look at Taylor. Taylor stood up and moved to stand near the old man.   
  
"This is my partner Taylor Reese"  
  
The old man stood up and extended his hand toward the man in front of him. "You're a big one aren't you. It's nice to meet you Mr. Resse and please both of you call Mac."  
  
Taylor shook the man's hand then went back to his seat.   
  
"Not much of a talker" McKnight commented to Matty as he sat back at the bar.  
  
Matty grinned then said, "He talks when need be."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Taylor turned in his seat so that he was facing the bar. He looked the mirrored background, watching the customer's interaction. His focused turned from the customer's to the employee's. Three women waitressing, another women behind the bar and three men who bartended and bounced. He watched each one of them very closely. Two of the women where around his age maybe a couple years younger. The other two women were in their late 30's. The men were all in their early to mid 30's. His took him time watching each one of them. How they moved, the tone of their voice and how they interacted with the customer's. The younger waitress who's name was Michelle, was flirty and talk allot. She was tall with long legs and a model's body. Her blonde hair was pulled up in pony tail and she wore a tight crop top with McKnight's Pub on it. She looked harmless but Taylor knew that all women had a dangerous side to them. The other two women's working the bar were more the motherly type. They both looked like they'd been working there for years. Alice was medium height, dark hair that she wore in a bun and a full figured women. She reminded him of his mother. The other lady was named Rosa. She was a tall slender women who looked very elegant. Her short brown hair cup in a very modern style. Her manner was playful and flirty. She reminded him of Michelle, just a younger version.  
  
The men were actually three bother's from around the neighborhood. Taylor had to do a double take when he saw two the of them were twins. The other one looked like he could be another twin but wasn't. All three were 6'2, dirty blonde hair and all were well built. They looked like they could handle themselves in a fight. Finally, Taylor focused on the women standing behind the bar. Charlie was her name, she was about 5'3 with dark hair pulled up in a kind of a bun. She wore a pair of old jeans that rode low on her hips and a T-shirt that cut off at her waist. Unlike most women he meet, she wouldn't turn away when he looked at her. She would glare back at him then go back to her making drinks. Matty placed his hand on Taylor's shoulder which cause Taylor to look away from Charlie.  
  
  
  
Matty knew what Taylor had been doing. At this moment Taylor knew more about everyone who worked in this place than the old owner. The man sitting next to him had a profound gift for figuring people out without speaking to them. When Taylor's attention was focused on him, Matty asked the all important question.  
  
"Anyone to be worried about?"  
  
"The blonde likes to flirt but she's harmless. The three guys are bothers and I don't see anything to worry about, the two other waitress's seem fine" he told his friend.   
  
Matty looked down at the bartender then asked, "You forgot her?"  
  
Taylor cocked his head to the side and looked in the direction of Charlie. "She's a fighter" After he said that he turned his head back and looked in the mirror before him.  
  
The black haired young man smirked at his friend's comment. Taylor wasn't what you called a "Ladies Man" neither of them were, but there was a hint of amazement his voice.   
  
~~~~~  
  
After the pub closed, McKnight called everyone to attention to meet the new owner's of McKnight's Pub. Michelle, Rosa and Alice sat at one table. The three men who's names now began known; Alex, Anthony and Adam, sat at another table. Charlie stayed behind the bar. Taylor looked back at her for a moment then turned as Matty began talking.  
  
"I wanted to thank all of you for staying. My name is Matty Demaret and this is Taylor Reese. Mr. McKnight has sold the bar to us. We wanted to come by and to meet all of you and to let you know that all yours jobs are safe. We aren't here to fire you. Mr. Reese and myself want all of you to be at ease with us."  
  
He smiled a half smiled to all the people staring at him. Matty wanted the employees to not worry about their jobs. He and Taylor weren't here to mess up these people's lives. He watched as each one of them looked around the room and then to old man McKnight.   
  
"Mac is this true?" Charlie asked from behind the bar. She then glared at Matty and Taylor. Matty sensed her uneasiness and said, "We don't want you to think that we're coming in and now everything has to change"  
  
She grinned at him then said, "Was I talking to you?" she looked at Mac then asked again, "Mac is this true?"  
  
Mac stood up and walked up to the bar. "Darlin It's time the old Mac is out of this game. This has been coming for a while now. You knew that."  
  
Charlie slammed the towel she had in her hand down onto the bar. She rounded the corner of the bar then said while staring both Taylor and Matty. "I know what you two are. You think you two can walk in her and start a scam. What's is gonna be drugs, whores?"  
  
Matty shook his head and put his hands out in front of him. "Look we aren't here to start anything. We just here to run a legit business nothing more nothing less"  
  
Taylor watched as the women standing before them put her hands on her hips and say, "Sure you are. That's what the big guy is for. She then pointed at Taylor, " for your legit business. I know who your father is."  
  
When Charlie took a step towards Matty, Taylor stepped in front of her. "Taylor" Matty said while shaking his head and moving around his friend. Charlie looked up at Taylor with heated expression in her eyes. Her eyebrow rose before she said, "I've seen what you could do but that doesn't scare me. This place means allot to us."  
  
He went to say something but didn't when Matty piped in, "Taylor's my business partner that's it" He smiled down at Charlie then said, "I promise you this isn't going to turn out bad"  
  
Charlie looked at the man standing in front of her. Sure cutie...I believe you. She turned around and went back behind the bar. Matty turned his attention on the other employees. She now watched as the meet each of them one by one. Taylor glanced back over his shoulder at the height weight behind the bar. She quickly turned her back to him but didn't break his stare. I got your number Mr. Reese. Charlie said to herself while looking at him threw the mirror.  
  
~~~~~  
  
As everyone was leaving, Mac asked Matty and Taylor a question.  
  
"You two boys have a place around here?"   
  
Matty turned back to look at the old man and said, "Not a permanent one"  
  
The old man smiled then said, "Look you two follow me around the corner. There's a building I own with some empty rooms"  
  
Taylor and Matty walked away from the van and followed Mac. He walked the corner then went down the next street. The gray haired man stopped in front of the building with a blue door. It was three stories and looked very quiet.   
  
"It's one big house at the bottom. Then there is an apartment on the second floor and the office is up top. You two stay here at least until you find another place you want."  
  
Matty looked at Taylor who had a reluctant look on his face. He then turned back and said, "How about if we can't find anything we like we take you up on the offer?"  
  
Mac smiled then said ok. Taylor and Matty went back to the van before they talked about what happened tonight.   
  
"She's got balls" Matty said as Taylor pulled onto the street.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The bartender"  
  
Taylor didn't replied to his friends comments. He was more concerned about getting this thing rolling without any problems. "So where are we going to about a place to stay?"  
  
"Yeah, We don't need to spend excess money on this hotel for too much longer"  
  
"Do you think it's a good idea to live so close to the bar?" Taylor asked.  
  
"I really don't see it being a huge problem" Matty told him. "We can keep a better eye on the place"  
  
The following day the two friends decided to take out Mac's offer to live his building. Taylor hoped this was a good idea. Matty didn't show any reservations about living that close to their business and Taylor trusted his friends judgment.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The next couple of weeks were busy for Matty and Taylor. They spent most the time moving into Mac's empty house and then the rest of the time was spent at the bar. Matty went threw and redid everything. The entire set up of the bar changed. The employees would now be required to clock in and out on computers instead of writing down when they came in and out on the note pad on Mac's desk. He made sure to take his time and explain to each one of them how he and Taylor wanted everything to run. Matty also took this time to bond with the employees. He a real gift of putting most people at ease. It was only when people found out who his father was that problems arose. The young man decided that these people wouldn't hold his father's reputation against him. He took his time laughing and cutting up with them. Taylor on the other hand, kept his distance. He was here to make friends or be nice. This was a business and he left the interaction with the help to Matty. Not that he didn't care if they were happy or not. He just felt Matty was better to deal with the everyday problems of the workers. Taylor always trusted Matty's instincts. He knew his friend was determined to make this work, so he said nothing.   
  
What he did do was watch the employees of McKnight's Pub very closely. This was Taylor's input on the business, he would take each person and break them down. He'd found out their strengths and their weakness. All his years on the street showed him that people are more than meets the eye. It taught him to watch out for sighs to how people's minds work. The one problem he kept coming up against was Charlie. She had become very quite, the complete opposite of when he and Matty first showed up. Something about her puzzled him. He knew she was dangerous but what he couldn't figure out was, Is she dangerous to the business or me?  
  
The pub closed down the following week so that there could be grand open to the new improved McKnight's Pub. TBC 


	2. chapter 2

*Note* Don't worry the Bad Guys are about to enter! This isn't just a boy meets girl fic[pic]  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Problems Arise  
  
  
  
Charlie stood and stared at the two men sitting on the steps of her apartment building. She left out a gasp then began shaking her head. There is no fucking way those two are staying here! What the hell is Mac thinking? Her first thought was to run up to them and begin yelling and screaming but instead she held her head up high while walking straight for them.  
  
Matty squinted his eyes then looked over at Taylor. A slight grin graced his handsome face before sayin, "Guess who's coming?"  
  
Taylor had been smoking a cigeratte and looking down at the payment. His head shot up and he saw what his friend was talking about. After shaking his head he let out a laugh.  
  
"This should be interesting," Matty replied while standing up and putting his hands in his pant pockets.  
  
"Hello Charlie."  
  
The young women standing before them smiled then looked around them.  
  
"I don't know if Mac told you but Taylor and I are your new neighbors," Matty said hoping she would open up and start a conversation with them.  
  
"No the old man didn't mention that," she said while climbing the first step and then staring at Taylor who was blocking her way. "You mind."  
  
Taylor puffed on his cigeratte before standing up. He took on last drag then dropped the cigeratte and put it out with his foot. He watched as Charlie rolled her eyes, she was getting annoyed by him. Without any expression on his face, Taylor stepped out the way and let her past. When she was almost in the door, the purse on her shoulder fell to the cement. Taylor reached down and picked it up for.  
  
"You may need this," he said in a low voice as he handed the purse to her.  
  
"Thanks," she blurted out before pushing her way into the building.  
  
Once Charlie was inside, Matty and Taylor took their seats again. They were quite for a few minutes before Matty said, "She hates us."  
  
Taylor didn't say anything. He knew what Matty was trying to do. There was nothing that was going to get in the way of he and Matty's plan. Not the mob and certainly not that woman. Matty had that look in his eyes. Taylor laughed as he looked over at Matty.  
  
"You have issues," he told his friend before getting up and walking inside.  
  
Matty turned and watched his friend leave. Once he turned around he noticed a women sitting in a window across the street. Matty stood up and stared. The women was brushing her hair and looking up into the sky. Without thinking, Matty slowly decended the stairs and walked into the street. He folded his arms over his chest and took pleasure in watching her. The sound of a horn blowing pulled him out of his blissful state and back to reality.  
  
"Hey," a man yelled while waving his hands, "What's wrong with you? Get out of the road dumbass!"  
  
Matty stared at the man then backed up so the car could pass. He again looked up at the window and found the mystery women staring at him. Putting his hands in his pockets he quickly looked away before turning and going back to his own building. Once he was up the stairs, Matty took one last look at the women across the street. To his surprise she was now staring at him.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Sophia Giovanni had been taken aback at the man standing in the middle of street. It was obvious that he'd been staring up at her. She couldn't see him clearly but could tell he was nice looking. His hair was dark black and he wore expensive clothes. So she knew two things about him. That's a good start! That's McKnight's place. I wonder if he's sold his bar yet. I will have to check it out!  
  
~~~~~  
  
Charlie threw her bags on the floor as soon as her apartment door was closed. Jesus...Why did Mac have to go and do that. Letting them live downstairs. She was pissed, hell more than pissed. Her new neighbors had turned her world upside down. At 26 years old, Charlie DeAngelo hoped she would be the new owner of McKnight's Pub. She took the job when she turned 18 yrs old. Mac had taken her in when she needed a job to pay for college. Her parents were dead and she had no one. Then she met Mac and everything changed. All these years she wanted to one day take over for Mac. Within a day, Charlie's dreams had been shattered by two hoods. To make it worst, she was fighting a growing attraction to one of them. And if that wasn't enough, she had heard from old Lady Cypriano that Johnny Kid wanted a piece of McKnight's Pub. All these years the pub had been safe from the wise guys that controlled the neighborhoods. Mac had come to America when he was a teenager and formed up a friendship with Johnny's Kid's boss but now that the old man was dead and Mac had sold the pub. Charlie knew trouble was coming.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Matty sat on the couch watching the discovery channel while Taylor was cooking something in the kitchen. At first, Taylor was not to happy about living so close to the pub but the house turned out to be perfect for the two bachelors. It was a four bedroom house with 3 baths. A study/office and a huge dinning room, kitchen and living room.  
  
Taylor hadn't known that Miss. DeAngelo lived in one of the apartments upstairs. Matty had forgotten that. He began to feel a bit strange. His concerns were growing about the women, she was to quick to stand up to him. Not that was a bad thing for Taylor, he liked strong women but there was something about Charlie that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He shook thoughts of her out of his mind and continued to make dinner.  
  
"Matty you hungry?"  
  
"Yeah," Matty answered his friend while getting up and walking into the kitchen.  
  
Taylor handed his friend a plate then went over and grabbed two beers out of the fridge. Matty fixed his plate then sat down at the small kitchen table.  
  
"Thanks," he said after Taylor put the beer down by his plate.  
  
The two men sat in silence. After Matty took a couple of bites he whipped his mouth with the napkin then said, "So we ready for the opening?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Matty grinned then went back to his food.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Late that night, Matty found himself restless. He'd woken up from a nightmare. The image of Chris being shot keep replaying in slow motion. He sat up and ran his hands over his face. Sweat covered his face and neck. Matty pulled off his T-shirt then got out of bed. As he walked into his bathroom, Matty turned the light on. He went to sink and turned on the cold water. After splashing his face with the water, he stared at himself in the mirror. He eyes closed as he thought of Marbles. Damnit! He thought as he slammed his fist down on the counter. I'm sorry I couldn't save the both of you. Matty cleaned his face off then walked to his window. He looked down at the street and hoped his past would stay behind him. The young man placed both hands against the window and stared out of it.  
  
Sophia had woken up from her need of water. She'd went into her bathroom and filled her glass up. Before making her way back to her bed, she noticed the window across the street. She put the glass of water down on her night stand and walked closer to the window. Before her eyes focused on the object in the window across the street, Sophia knew it was the man from that afternoon. Her eyes lingered over his body. Or what she could make out as his body. She stared for a few moments longer before returning to bed.  
  
~~~~~  
  
  
  
The sound of footsteps woke Taylor. He jumped up and out of bed before running to the front door. When he swung the door open he saw Charlie. She was about to open the front door to the building.  
  
"Mr. Reese?" she asked.  
  
Taylor looked outside and saw that it was pitch black out. He looked back at her.  
  
"You got a date?"  
  
"No Mr. Reese it's called running," she commented before her eyes focused on his chest. HELLO! Charlie's eyes lingered delightfully on the massive body of the man standing across from her.  
  
"But you don't need to run do you?" she added.  
  
Taylor crossed his arms over his chest before saying, "You're not scared to run by yourself?"  
  
He watched as she smiled at him. "Please don't tell me that YOU are concerned about poor little me," Charlie told him.  
  
Charlie was taken aback by the smile that came over Taylor's face. She'd not seen him smile since they'd meet. For the first time, she couldn't look in his eyes. Instead she turned and walked thru the door.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Taylor found that he couldn't go back to sleep. He sat on in the living room and stared at the television. When Matty got up, he found Taylor sitting there.  
  
"Taylor what are you doing?"  
  
"Thinking about turning on the TV."  
  
"Ah...How long you been thinking about it?" Matty asked while walking to stand in front of him.  
  
"A couple of hours," Taylor replied while running his hand over his bald head.  
  
Matty laughed at his friend before walking to the kitchen.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Both Matty and Taylor were a little nervous about the grand opening which was set for that night. The two men arrived early to make sure everything was ready. There had been some specific changes to the pub. For example, the walls had been painted black and all the furniture had been changed for a more modern look. The bar and booths were all new, all employees now wore black pants and a T-shirt with the pub's name on it. The new look of the place was well taken by all employees, even Charlie admitted she liked the old place all dolled up.  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The Game  
  
Opening night was more successful then they all thought. The pub made more money in one night than the old pub did in one week. Anyone who was anyone was there. Politicians, Actors, Writers you name it they were there. Matty and Taylor felt a small chip had been lifted off their shoulders. It was nice to see people actually enjoying themselves.   
  
The two were also pleased with the staff. Even Charlie had made sure she was more than nice to the customers. As the night grew to an end, the two friends sat back in a booth and drank beer.  
  
"Congratulations Mr. Reese," Matty said while holding his beer up.   
  
Taylor smiled over at his friend. Hell none of this would have gotten done if Matty hadn't been here. His friend was focused and more than willing to make the place a success. He only wished that Marbles and Chris could be here to enjoy this with them.   
  
"We did good," Taylor told his friend before lifting his own beer.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
A couple of months had gone by without any problems. The pub was running smoothly and had become a very stylish hot spot. Matty and Taylor found themselves content and settled for the first times in their lives.   
  
Sophia paced outside McKnight's Pub, she'd only been in there once since it reopened. Of course the only reason she'd gone in there was to possibly meet the owners but they weren't there. So she was stuck talking to Mac who kept going on and on about the two fella's that bought the place. Mac seemed to really like them, she did notice however that Charlie rolled her eyes each time their names were mentioned. Sophia knew enough about Charlie to know that something was different about these two men but she wanted to make her own decision as to if she liked them. After Mac finished his beer he bid them farewell and left. Sophia and Charlie told him bye before getting into a conversation.   
  
"So," Sophia said while moving to the other end of the bar so she could talk to Charlie. "Tell me about them?"  
  
Charlie looked up at her cousin and snickered. "They're mob hoods."  
  
"Really Charlie you and this mob thing needs to stop, you think everyone is on the take."  
  
"That's cause most of them are."  
  
Sophia shook her head before smiling. Her cousin was a complex person to say the least. She never understood how Charlie was so quick to judge people. She was always reminding herself that Charlie had grown up here, she knew about the horror of mob related violence. It was a shame that Charlie wasn't more of an open person when it came to relationships. She closed herself off to a lot, men being one of them.   
  
"So are they nice looking?" Charlie heard her cousin blurt out. She looked up to see Matty and Taylor walking in. "Check out for yourself."  
  
Sophia turned and saw two men walking towards her. She focused on the big one and looked back at Charlie. Charlie grinned then turned her back. Sophia chuckled then looked to the big guy's right and saw him. The him from the street, she could tell it was the same guy. Her eyes lingered over his entire body. She quickly looked away and waited for them to take their seats at the end of the bar before she looked again.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Matty had noticed the blonde sitting at the bar. She looked at Taylor then turned away. He was use to women fawning over Taylor. It was dumb founding that Taylor was such a lady magnet but then would never go after them. When she looked back in their direction, Matty had become her object to observe. He smiled as he and Taylor walked by her.   
  
After they took their seats, Matty said hello to Charlie. The bartender turned and smiled asked if he and Taylor wanted anything to drink.  
  
"Coffee," Matty said while turning his head to look at the woman sitting at the other end of the bar.  
  
Charlie nodded her head then stared at Taylor. He leaned back in the stool then said, "Nothing for me."  
  
He watched her turned swiftly and take hold of a coffee cup. She slowly walked towards them and placed the cup down in front of Matty.   
  
Matty smiled, "thanks," he said without taking his eyes off Sophia.  
  
Sophia knew he'd been staring at her which caused a grin. Charlie looked over at her cousin and shook her head.   
  
"Mr. Demaret," she declared while walking backwards towards Sophia, "this is my cousin Sophia Givoanni."  
  
Matty stood up and walked over to Sophia. He extended his hand and said, "It's pleasure to meet you Ms. Givoanni."  
  
Taylor watched as Sophia smiled and took hold of Matty's hand. He then directed his attention to Charlie who laughed a little then walked back down by him.   
  
While Taylor and Charlie ignored one another, Matty and Sophia got to know one another.   
  
"You're not from New Jersey?" Matty asked.   
  
"I'm from Los Angeles," Sophia told him.   
  
"I've only been there once but it was beautiful."  
  
Sophia all the sudden felt like a shy little girl. The man sitting next to her looked at her like he could see right through her. She couldn't speak, for fear of saying something stupid. So instead she twirled her hair around her fingers.   
  
"I stayed around New York all my life," Matty said hoping this would spark up the conversation again.   
  
"Why did you leave?"  
  
"I needed a new start"  
  
Sophia watched as his features tightened. She knew there was more to the story but didn't want to push the issue. "A new start is sometimes the best thing."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Outside the bar...  
  
A black Lincoln Town Car sat idling. Two men were seated in the car, both watching the bar.   
  
"The old man finally sold the place," Johnny Kidd said while lighting a cigarette. "I'll speak to them soon."  
  
The man sitting next to chuckled before saying with a Russian accent, "This is an opportunity for the both of us. It is time to prove ourselves. My father has come here to expand business, so I come with him. This can't go wrong we have to succeed by any means."  
  
Johnny Kidd understood his new found friend's feelings for this matter. They were both in the same boat.  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~  
  
Back in the bar. An hour later...  
  
Sophia hated that she had to excuse herself but it was getting late. She wanted nothing more than to stay at the bar and talk with Matty. She looked down at her watch.  
  
"It's pretty late isn't it?" Matty asked.  
  
"Yeah, I really should be going," she told him.  
  
Matty then watched as she stood up and hesitated for a moment. He stood up and blurted out. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"  
  
He said is so loud that both Charlie and Taylor's heads turned in his and Sophia's direction. Sophia bit the inside of her mouth so she wouldn't laugh at him.   
  
"That would be great," she told him before walking over and putting on her jacket.   
  
Matty followed her. Hoping she would offer up her telephone number. She turned around and caught him off guard. He looked surprised. Again Sophia found herself wanting to laugh at him. She pulled out a business card and wrote down her number.  
  
Matty took the business card and held onto to it tight. Sophia smiled at him then said, "Well it was very nice to meet you Mr. Demaret."  
  
"It was nice to meet you," Matty told her.  
  
The stared at one another for a moment before Charlie brought them back into reality. "OK," she said.   
  
"Oh yeah," Sophia after looking at her cousin.   
  
Before Matty could say anything else, Sophia left.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Matty and Taylor waited around until closing time. Charlie felt like a small child that couldn't be left alone with toys. Matty, after his four hour long chat with Sophia went into the office and was doing paper work. Mr. Reese on the other hand decided he was going to play a game of pool.   
  
After she cleaned the bar for the 1001 time, Charlie watched the man leaning over the pool table. He taken off his leather jacket and placed it on the table closest to him. Her eyes slowly moved from his face down his arms and finally homing in on his chest. Which was barely concealed by the white muscle shirt he was wearing. She did admit to herself that he was good looking. It bothered her, the extent of her attraction. If he would walk by her, she automatically back up so there was no way any part of their bodies would touch. The thought of him touching her was more than she could bear. Suddenly she realized that Taylor was watching her watching him. She looked around before turning her back to him. Shit! That was great Charlie, now he knows you were staring at him like you've never seen a man before!   
  
Taylor smiled to himself before going back to his game. He found himself enjoying they're staring contest.   
  
~~~~~~  
  
A week later...  
  
Charlie was off of work but decided to stop by and see how things were going. She walked in and said hi to Alice.   
  
"Hey you working alone?"  
  
Alice smiled then said, "No Michelle's taking her break."  
  
"I'm gonna go and say hi," Charlie told the older woman before turning and going to the back room.  
  
She opened the door and found Michelle with her head face down on the table. Charlie dropped her purse and went to Michelle.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing" Charlie heard in a muffled voice.  
  
"Michelle, Tell me what's wrong?"  
  
Michelle lifted her head and looked over at Charlie.   
  
"Come on tell me what's the matter?"  
  
Charlie watched as Michelle hesitated for a moment before saying, "I was coming to work and Johnny Kidd stopped me."  
  
"And"  
  
"He..He"  
  
"He what?" Charlie said.  
  
"He came on to me and I told him to leave me alone and he grabbed me," Michelle told her.  
  
Charlie controlled her growing anger. She wanted to make her friend feel at ease. "Johnny Kidd comes on strong, that's it. I'm sure nothing will come of this."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Yes, everything is going to be fine Michelle."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
An hour after Charlie's conversation with Michelle, she was at Kidd's club. She talked to one of the waiter's who she knew to make sure Johnny was there. Her friend told her that Kidd was going to be alone is in office for a while.   
  
Charlie knocked on the office and without a "come on in" she made her way inside.  
  
Johnny snapped his head up and glared at her. He watched as she walked up to his desk before taking a seat in front of it.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Yes, you can," she said.  
  
Charlie then noticed another man was in the office. She watched as he lit a cigarette then turned back to Johnny.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you."  
  
Johnny leaned back in his chair then smiled at her. "About what?"  
  
"About Michelle Daniels."  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"She told me you spoke to her today."  
  
"And?"  
  
"She was upset and I wanted to make sure you understood that she isn't interested." Charlie told him.  
  
"Interested?"  
  
"Yeah, she isn't interested in what you do for a living, what kind of car you drive, what you want to be when you grow up," she then stood up before continuing. "Seems she isn't interested in you so how about you leave it alone?"  
  
Johnny began laughing but suddenly stopped when he saw she wasn't joking with him. He leaned forward in his chair and put his hands together.   
  
"Are you speaking for her?"  
  
"Yes, Stay away from her"  
  
He admitted to himself that the women standing in front of him was bold.   
  
"Charlie, we've known one another for a while. That doesn't mean you could come in here and disrespect me."  
  
"You haven't seen disrespect yet," Charlie told him before turning and walking to the door. She opened the door and went to walk out. Instead of exiting the room she spun around and said, "Oh and stay away from the pub!"  
  
The door slammed and the Russian who's name was Dmitri (last name added in later) chuckled before stated. "Feisty American woman. I like her!"  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Matty was on the phone in the office at the bar. He been talking to his friend Bobby when Taylor stormed in.   
  
"Hey Bobby, I'll talk with you later" Matty said before hanging up the phone. "What's wrong?"  
  
Taylor put his hands on his hips and said, "Charlie went and talked to Johnny Kidd."  
  
"What? Why the hell would she do that?" Matty asked.  
  
"She told him to back off."  
  
Matty stood up and ran his hands threw his dark hair. "Back off of what?"  
  
"Michelle, and this place," Taylor told him.  
  
"Fuck!" Matty said. "OK I'll go and talk to him and make sure this goes over smoothly."  
  
"You think it's a good idea to go and talk to him?"  
  
"We have to talk now Taylor. He needs to respect the fact that you and I aren't in the life anymore."  
  
Taylor knew Matty going to talk to Johnny Kidd wasn't going to make any difference. Kidd knew how Matty's dad was and had no doubt heard all the stories going around the underworld about he and Matty. A bad feeling came over him, this wasn't going to be settled by one conversation.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Taylor Reese didn't climb, he ran up the stairs to Charlie's apartment. I can't believe she went and spoke out to Johnny Kidd like that. What the fuck was she thinking. As he reached her door he hesitated for a moment, knowing he was about to start something that could end up two ways. Good or Bad. He banged on the door a couple of times while making sure not to yell at her to open the door. Why did she have to go and talk to him! Can't she keep her mouth shut for any amount of time? That fucking Russian is in business with Kidd now, they'd kill her without any hesitation. What if they'd put there hands on her... Taylor snapped back into the moment. He didn't want his thoughts to go any further. Why was he so mad? Cause she went and spoke up for her friend and put herself in danger. Did she not understand that those men took what they wanted without question?   
  
Charlie jumped out of bed from the pounding on her door. She looked around the room then remembered she told Michelle to come over if she got scared. The pounding got louder and louder as she moved closer to her front door.   
  
"OK...OK" she hissed as she pulled the door opened. Her eyes widened when she saw Taylor glaring down at her.   
  
"What the hell do you want?"  
  
"You to keep your mouth shut," he said while pushing her back into her apartment.   
  
She backed away from him. When he slammed the door shut she jumped.   
  
"What is going on?" she asked while beginning to get worried.   
  
Taylor turned to face her, he shook his head then moved forward and grabbed hold of her.   
  
"Agh," came out as Charlie was pinned up against the front door of her apartment. She looked up into his eyes and saw how angry he was.   
  
"What the fuck where you think about? Going and talking to Johnny Kidd. Jesus Charlie you can't be that fucking stupid!" he yelled at her.  
  
"Let go of me."  
  
"No, you are going to listen to me little girl."  
  
Charlie managed to move her hand so that it was pressing against his chest. She tried to push at him, but she knew Taylor was too big for her to fight against.   
  
"Is that it?" she asked in an icy tone while turning her head to the side.  
  
Taylor stared down at her, he couldn't understand her. She was more than ready to fight at any moment. He couldn't believe she'd give up this easily.   
  
"Don't ever grow balls like that again. Let Matty and I handle the local muscle," he said before stepping back from her.  
  
Charlie felt her entire body relax. She pushed herself off the door and walked up to him with hands on hips.   
  
"I thought you said that you and Mr. Demaret weren't 'in that life' anymore."  
  
"Don't worry yourself about what Matty and I are into. And we aren't in that life anymore!" Taylor told her.  
  
"You nothing but a hood Mr. Resse and nothing is going to change that!" she yelled up at him.  
  
Something snapped in Taylor, these past months had been an up hill battle with the woman standing in front of him. She'd never hidden her dislike for he or Matty. Charlie made sure they felt her coldness towards them. Her calling him a hood felt like a knife cutting his skin. Fuck this!   
  
Charlie watched quietly as Taylor seem to be fighting an internal battle. His body straighten up and he took a step towards her. She told herself to move away from him but her body wasn't listening. As his hands encircled her forearms, she closed her eyes. Her eyes fell open when she was pulled hard up against his chest. She held her breath for a moment as she stared at his shirt. His breath was warm against her neck. Both their hearts beating wildly. Slowly he pulled back. He didn't let go of her, he let go of one of her arms only to place his hand at the base of her neck. Charlie looked up at him and knew what he was going to do.  
  
"Don't," she said before her lips were crushed to his.   
  
Taylor growled deep in his throat after his lips meet hers. He pulled her even harder against him. His body burning, he stayed awake so many nights dreaming about what kissing her would be like. This wasn't like the other women, it was much more dangerous.   
  
The feel of his tongue entering her mouth caused Charlie to push against him. Not that she wasn't enjoying it, that was the problem she was enjoying it too much. Her anger at him turned to lust and she felt her body ready to give up the fight. Both of them hadn't noticed that Taylor had backed them up against the door. The bumping caused her to gain some sense of reality. She pushed against him. This time Taylor let go of her and stepped back.   
  
The lust that had taken over only a moment ago now was replaced again with anger.   
  
"Get out of here," she told him as she opened her front door.   
  
Taylor walked slowly to her door and was not going to say anything. He decided to say something but when he stopped and turned to her. He was meet with a hard slap to his left cheek.   
  
"Don't ever put your hands on me again!"  
  
Charlie watched as he placed his hand over his cheek and glared at her. He said nothing then walked away. After she shut her door, Charlie found herself shaking.   
  
  
  
TBC 


	4. chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
A talk with Johnny Kidd  
  
Matty waited patiently for a meeting with Johnny Kidd. He'd meet the young man a couple of times at his father's house but really didn't know Kidd that well. The only thing he was sure of was that Kidd was dangerous and he needed to deal with situation as soon as possible.  
  
"You can see him now." Matty stood up and followed the man down a long hallway.  
  
Once inside he saw two men waiting for him.  
  
Johnny stood up and smiled at Matty while extending his hand. "Mr. Demaret it's nice to finally meet you formally."  
  
Matty nodded then shook Kidd's hand. "I hope I am not disturbing you."  
  
Johnny laughed then offered Matty a seat. Matty sat down and looked over at the man sitting on the couch.  
  
"That is Dmitri Arapovic"  
  
Matty smiled then focused back on Johnny.  
  
"What can I do for you?" Kidd asked.  
  
"Well, I was told that an employee of mine came to see you earlier today."  
  
Johnny nodded then said, "Yes Charlie."  
  
"I was hoping that she didn't upset you, she was only speaking out for her friend. I hoped that you would understand." Matty made sure to choose his words carefully.  
  
"Woman are always fussing about something, I didn't take Miss. DeAngelo very serious."  
  
Matty paid much attention to Johnny's body language as he spoke. He was liar and for a tough guy that wasn't the best quality. There was more to this story and Matty understood that this meeting wasn't going to stop what had already been put in motion.  
  
~~~~~  
  
After Matty left Kidd's office he drove across the bridge into the city. He drove in front of his father's home. Feeling of regret filled him. Was he doing the right thing? Could he put the past behind him? When he finally made his way home, Matty began thinking of Sophia. Her face seemed burned  
  
into his mind. He closed his eyes and saw her face. This was strange, Matty wasn't used to feeling this way. For so long, his love life wasn't a big deal. It was only now that he found himself dwelling on that fact.  
  
~~~~~  
  
A couple of weeks later  
  
Matty had called Sophia and asked her out. After their first date which was on a Tuesday, Matty found himself seeing her everyday after that. Charlie paid little attention to the fact, she was still dealing with what happened with her and Taylor.  
  
Taylor stayed away from the bar, the only time he would show up was when Charlie wasn't there. He wasn't in the mood for hostility. Taylor also wanted to check out Johnny Kidd's organization. He would spend late night outside of warehouses and club taking notes and breaking down Kidd's chain of command.  
  
Late on Friday night, Taylor found himself face to face with Charlie. He was almost inside he and Matty's place when he heard a noise coming from upstairs. He made his way up the stairs and found Charlie's door opened. Once inside he saw that something had happened. There were papers everywhere. The small table she had in her kitchen was turned over and her couch was cut up. Anger filled Taylor's body. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie lying in the doorway of her bedroom.  
  
Charlie opened her eyes and saw Taylor looking down on her.  
  
"I have to get you up and out of the apartment, I'm not going to hurt you Charlie." Taylor told her in a reassuring voice.  
  
She whimpered when he pulled her up in his strong arms. If I find out who did this!!! He could feel her shaking against him. He told her everything was going to be all right before taking her downstairs.  
  
Taylor brought her to his bedroom, the spare bedroom didn't have a bed in it and he wasn't going to put her on the couch in the living room. He gently put her down on the mattress and then took off his jacket. Charlie only stared up at him, she never said anything.  
  
"I'm going to get some towels and some ice to put on you. I'll be right back."  
  
Charlie watched as he exited the room. She looked around his room then pulled the covers over her body. Her body was aching and all she wanted to do was sleep.  
  
Taylor yanked the ice tray out of the freezer and slammed the door shut. Why if they....??? Resse just stop it! Calm down and be cool about this. He returned to his room and found her curled up under a blanket.  
  
"Charlie you can't go to sleep I need to see if you're bleeding," he told her after he came to stand by the side of the bed.  
  
She let out a sigh then pushed the covers off of her. Charlie knew that Taylor figured out that she didn't have anything under her robe. She'd been getting ready for her bath when she was attacked.  
  
"Tell me where you hurt," he said while sitting on the edge of the bed.  
  
Charlie was still laying on her side, she moved the robe so that her leg was exposed. Right above her knee on her outer thigh there was an enormous bruise.  
  
Taylor ran a hand over his head then placed some ice on her bruise. He knew it was killing her that he was taking care of her. She probably wished someone else would have found her.  
  
  
  
"I doesn't look like you're bleeding. I'll go and get some pain medicine for in the morning, it's going to hurt."  
  
Taylor went to stand up but she touched his hand. He looked down at her then asked, "What?"  
  
Charlie pushed her robe off her shoulders very slowly. Taylor understood what she was doing so he helped her. She laid on her stomach. Taylor pulled her robe down further and saw the bruise's on her back.  
  
"Who the fuck did this!" Taylor yelled.  
  
Taylor calmed himself down, he knew his anger would only scare her. He slowly cleaned her opened wound. Whoever did this, caught her with a boot and it broke the skin. After he finished, Taylor pulled out a tee shirt and a pair of shorts.  
  
"Charlie can you put these on?" he asked after she turned back onto her side.  
  
Charlie shook her head yes and then watched as he put the clothes down by her and exited the room.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Taylor gave her a while to change. When he walked back in his room, Charlie was fast asleep. He picked up her robe and brought it the living room. He silently waited for Matty to come home.  
  
Matty walked in and found Taylor sitting on the couch.  
  
"Are you planning on watching TV again?"  
  
Taylor stood up and walked over and handed Matty the robe.  
  
"What's this?" Matty asked as he examined the robe.  
  
"Charlie was paid a visit tonight. I found her on the floor upstairs."  
  
"Where is she, is she OK?"  
  
"She's in my room sleeping. He did this!" Taylor said.  
  
"Did you call the cops?" Matty asked.  
  
"No, nothing they could do. What did he say when you talked to him?"  
  
Matty ran his hands threw his hair then said, "Played it off like it didn't matter. This isn't just about Michelle. He wants the bar and he 's not going to let anything stop him."  
  
"Why don't I go over there and pay him a visit?"  
  
"Don't that's what he's expecting. We lay low."  
  
Taylor didn't want to lay low, he wanted to make Johnny Kidd feel the pain that Charlie was feeling. But he trusted Matty and knew this was the best thing for them to do. He couldn't let his personal feelings sway his judgment.  
  
~~~~~  
  
TBC 


	5. chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Complications  
  
~The next morning~  
  
Matty would have liked nothing better than to let Taylor beat the crap out of Johnny Kidd, but he knew better. Right now the best thing for he and Taylor to do was to not retaliate. What Kidd had done wasn't about Charlie's conversation with him, he was sending a message to everyone. A message that was read loud and clear. Matty also hated the fact that he was now about to call Sophia and tell her that her cousin had been attacked.  
  
He knocked on Taylor's door before opening it. "Charlie" he said in a low voice.  
  
Charlie was sitting up in bed, she was still in a lot of pain. "Come in."  
  
"Taylor went to get some medicine from the store" Matty told her after he walked up and sat in the chair next to the bed. Taylor had brought the chair in from the dining room so he could sit with her all night.  
  
"You and Taylor don't have to do this," she told him.  
  
"Charlie, you work for us and I know you don't particularly like us but we are your friend's."  
  
Charlie knew Matty was being sincere, he was the type of man who could never hid his feelings. "Thank you for helping me."  
  
Matty smiled then said, "Thank Taylor he's been up all night watching you."  
  
"Can I call Sophia for you?" he then asked.  
  
"Please do, if she finds out anywhere else she'll be so upset with me," Charlie told him.  
  
"OK."  
  
Soon after the conversation ended Matty left the room. Charlie sat there staring at Taylor's room wondering why he'd taken care of her.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Sophia, this is Matty."  
  
Sophia smiled into the phone then said, "Hi, how are you?"  
  
"I'm fine but I uh...need to tell you something," there was a hint of sadness in Matty's voice.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Charlie was attacked last night, Taylor found her and brought her here."  
  
"WHAT?" Sophia jumped off her couch and yelled again in the phone. "WHERE IS SHE?"  
  
"She's here," Matty said before hearing the phone hit the floor.  
  
A couple of minutes later, Sophia was knocking on his door. Matty opened the door and let her in.  
  
"Is she OK?" Sophia asked looking like she was going to cry.  
  
Matty took hold of her hand and squeezed it, "She's all right come with me."  
  
Sophia leaned up and kissed Matty on the cheek, "Thank you for calling me."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
After Matty opened the bedroom door, Sophia ran in and went to Charlie.  
  
"Oh my God are you OK?" she asked.  
  
Charlie half way smiled and said, "I'm semi good"  
  
"Look, I'll leave you two alone," he said before shutting the door.  
  
"What the @#%$ happened?" Sophia asked.  
  
"Someone attacked me last night," Charlie told her.  
  
Tears began swelling up in Sophia's eyes, Charlie then stated, "Don't start that! I don't want start crying too!"  
  
Sophia hugged Charlie before sitting down next to the bed.  
  
"Johnny Kidd did this," Charlie blurted out.  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"Yes, I do, I shouldn't have told him to stay away from Michelle and the bar."  
  
"You what?" Sophia asked.  
  
Charlie frowned then said, " I told him to stay away from the Michelle and the bar, he was coming on to her and it scared her so..."  
  
"SO..." Sophia butted in. "You took it upon yourself to go and talk to a wise guy right! Charlie! You shouldn't have done that!"  
  
"I had to, she was really scared."  
  
"Charlie you have to keep out of those things, you for one know how those men are" Sophia told her.  
  
"Taylor took care of you," she then added.  
  
"Yes, he found me."  
  
Charlie rolled her eyes then said, " What?"  
  
Sophia shook her head and said nothing.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Taylor came back from the store and found Matty cooking.  
  
"What you cooking that smells good?"  
  
"Some pasta, what else do I know how to cook. Sophia's with Charlie."  
  
Taylor nodded then put down his bags and took off his jacket. "Is Charlie, OK?"  
  
Matty looked up at his friend while mixing the pasta and the sauce. "She's fine."  
  
"Good, I'm gonna take a shower." Taylor said then walked down the hall towards Matty's room.  
  
Matty knew Taylor felt something for Charlie. His friend wasn't usually taken with women, Taylor had a couple of girlfriend's but they never lasted. Charlie wasn't the typical 'Taylor Girl,' she was tough, spoke her mind and wasn't afraid of anyone. His friend had always hooked up with prissy girls who didn't care what Taylor did for a living. They only wanted to look pretty and be treated like a queen. Those women only used Taylor to get what they wanted, a man higher up on the food chain with the mob. Taylor didn't mind, he didn't want a relationship with any of them. Now it seemed that Taylor was staring to have certain feelings for Charlie which could be dangerous for all of them.  
  
TBC 


End file.
